Chrisoula Chappell

Background
My undergraduate degree was BSc HONS Applied Biomedical Science with a year in Industry at a hematology laboratory at the Christie hospital, a world renowned cancer hospital. This enabled me to complete a registration portfolio and obtain a certificate of competence. I then chose to continue my studies doing an MSc in Biomedical Science by research. My masters focused on drug loaded mesoporous nanoparticles and skeletal muscle stem cells. After the completion of my masters I am now studying for my PhD which involves gold nanoparticles and photoacoustics.

Previous lab experience
I have worked at a haematology laboratory at the Christie hospital where red blood cell numbers, blood clotting and inflammation were measured.
I gained further laboratory experience throughout my masters where I synthesized mesoporous nanoparticles, loaded them with the drug and then tested them against skeletal muscle cell culture.

Why I chose to study in the CDT in Molecular-Scale Engineering
The opportunity to work within an interdisciplinary field, involving physics, chemistry and biology.

Current research
At the moment I am trying to functionalise gold nanoparticles, so that they can attach on the epitopes on early breast cancer cells and then be able to detect the specific binding via photoacoustics.

Advantages of an integrated PhD over a conventional PhD
You hope to become an expert in fields that will pave the way for futuristic medical techniques.

The most enjoyable aspects
The laboratory work.

The most challenging aspects
Using Matlab
.

The benefits of the interdisciplinary nature of the course
The chance to work with great teams.

How I hope to extend the experience gained from the course in my future career
I am hoping to use my skills and pursue a career in cancer research.

What would you say to other students interested in joining the CDT?
It’s worth the risk because the career prospects are great.